Enabling the crooks to get even richer

The benefits racket marks a new low for Labour. The hallmark of this government is corruption.

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Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is the title of a film based on the much-loved folk hero Robin Hood.

Although, in popular folklore, Robin took from the rich to give to the poor, this is misrepresentative. Robin and his merry men never stole from the rich, they simply returned what the Sheriff of Nottingham and his crooks had unjustly taken from the poor.

A true socialist, one may stress.

When one observes how Robert Abela and his Labour Party are running the country, there are some similarities to Robin Hood’s tale – but with a big difference. Labour has, instead, systematically cheated citizen Joe to support and appease a number of fat cats.

Contrary to Robin Hood, Labour is not returning what the crooks took but just enabling them to get richer. This is typical of champagne socialists.

Under the pretext of being pro-business, Labour has steadily favoured a select few at the expense of the public. Public land, foreshores, public spaces and beaches were tendered out for a pittance. Thousands of euros in direct orders were dished out. Incompetent and inept people were given positions of trust at the expense of others. Even our state hospitals were sold off and we all know what the courts have said about that.

The list is too long to compile. Only the blinkered and those with vested interests are unable to acknowledge this terrible state of affairs.

Sadly, the current Labour Party line-up is anything but Labour. Today’s Labour is an outright insult to the many honest citizens who are witnessing a requiem for what Labour supposedly stood for. Labour not only sold off its soul but also turned itself into a den of thieves.

Many cabinet members are tainted with serious sleaze allegations and many projects undertaken have allegations of corruption all over them. Sadly, all the good that Labour did has been overshadowed.

The hallmark of this government is corruption.

The latest benefits racket marks a new low for Labour. Not only does this latest scandal reconfirm that Labour is corrupt to the core and has no qualms in manipulating vulnerable people but this racket underlines how far Labour is ready to go to hold on to power.

Regrettably, Labour always had a somewhat tempestuous relationship with democracy. We can never forget the 1981 electoral result when Labour won a majority of seats despite the PN winning an absolute majority of the popular vote. This was a clear case of gerrymandering. The same thing would have happened in 1987 had it not been for last-minute constitutional amendments guaranteeing majority rule.

One wonders if there are other vote-catching schemes yet to be discovered. Soon after the benefits scandal, another racket was discovered – this time regarding driving licences.

How many other scandals can this country take? Although former Labour MP Silvio Grixti is being repeatedly cited as the person who unlawfully enabled hundreds of people to receive benefits through forged documents, the scale of the racket is certainly too large to be handled by simply one person.

Grixti was the face of the racket rather than the brains behind it. The scale of the scandal suggests it was a systematic well-planned scheme. As things stands, all fingers point to one direction: Castille.

Like the Sheriff of Nottingham, our inept police commissioner chose to bully and prosecute the small fish rather than going after the masterminds. Two years down the line, Grixti and others behind the benefits racket have still not been charged. Does the law apply to everyone or not?

This benefits racket tarnishes all those who are really most in need while depriving them of additional support. Honest citizens who are truly in need of our solidarity are being perceived as possible abusers. This will further reinforce the stigma which surrounds those receiving social benefits.

Labour should be ashamed of themselves. No whitewashing can absolve them.

(This article was published on Times of Malta – 30 October, 2023)